Many businesses are still struggling with the best – and most effective – way to measure the ROI of their social media efforts.

A survey in late 2011 showed that 72% of execs reported that their business was using at least one method of social media to reach out to customers.

Some of the more common uses include: marketing new products, helping employees collaborate and providing customer service.

But how do you know if what you’re doing is actually reaching and affecting your target markets?

Data drawn from Chief Marketer’s 2011 Social Marketing Survey provides a snapshot of how companies measure their social media success. The top six measures:

1. Friends, followers, or likes — 60%
2. Forwards or retweets — 39%
3. Qualified leads from social media — 35%
4. Visits or time spent with branded social media content — 35%
5. Incremental sales attributable to social media — 25%
6. Brand awareness/favorability (as measured by surveys) — 18%

Tags: Chief Marketer's, ROI, Social Marketing Survey, social media, top six measures